Bengaluru FC losing Rs 25 crore a season: BFC owner writes to ISL founder Nita Ambani

Indian Super League franchise Bengaluru FC is losing over Rs 25 crore each season, the club’s owner Parth Jindal has said in a letter to ISL Founder Chairperson Nita Ambani, as per a report in The Indian Express.

Jindal wrote to Ambani regarding the “fragile financial condition” of the football league and pointed out that “losses increased dramatically” for the Bengaluru franchise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The losses incurred this season have been worse, he said.

He cited lack of ticketing revenue, losing sponsorship and additional cost of maintaining the bio-bubble as reasons, and sought Ambani’s “counsel and guidance” on the matter.

Jindal, whose team won the 2017-18 ISL title, also said that Reliance Foundation suspending the youth subsidy (of up to Rs 2 crore) to teams has been a ‘severe blow’. He further said that it was difficult for the club and JSW Sport to “justify and sustain the losses being incurred”.

“Today, I am not aware how franchises like BFC will become profitable or even break even and would love to deliberate and understand along with the other team owners what the future holds,” Jindal wrote.

The current season of the Indian Super League started on November 20 in Goa, and is being organised in a bio-secure bubble due to the COVID-19 protocols in place. Matches are also being staged without the presence of spectators in stadiums.

One of main sources of income for the ISL is selling the television rights. However, the ISL has hit a roadblock in this matter as Star Sports, its broadcaster, is also a co-owner of the league. Ambani launched ISL in 2014 I partnership with Star Sports.

The league was granted the status of being India’s premier football league by the Asian Football Council in 2019.